British Open: Big questions heading into Sunday

The 147th British Open wraps up on Sunday, and judging from the leaderboard, we could be in for a classic at Carnoustie. You’ve got the defending champion at the top of the heap, two young would-be-first-time winners right there with him … oh, yeah, and one of the greatest players in history lurking just a few strokes back. Get up early; this is going to be fun.

Who will win?

Defending champ Jordan Spieth ended a spectacular Saturday tied for the lead at -9. Right there with him are Xander Schauffele, the 2017 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, and Kevin Kisner, who’s held the lead or a share every day of the tournament. Spieth’s ability to win a tournament is well-documented; Kisner had the lead throughout last year’s PGA Championship but lost with a rocky Sunday.

They’ll have the edge going into Sunday — they’re two strokes clear of the field — but the unpredictable weather (more on that in a moment) won’t give anyone any peace.

Who could make a run?

Nine players are within four strokes of the lead, and even that might not be enough of a cushion for the leaders. The last two Opens at Carnoustie have ended with the winner coming from down 10 strokes (Paul Lawrie, 1999) and six strokes (Padraig Harrington, 2007) down entering the final day.

What will be the greatest challenge?

Even discounting the weather, the winner will need to get through Carnoustie’s closing four holes, which have scarred the cards of virtually every player in the field. Spieth, Kisner and many others atop the leaderboard have taken hits in those last holes, and they’ll be lurking out there waiting throughout the afternoon.